Hi everyone! I had been itching to write a historical fiction novel for a while now and figured that I'd take the leap. Please, sit back relax and enjoy this epic love story as it unwinds across the streets of Cairo.
This story is a mixture of both reality and fiction. Here's a quick history lesson. The Abbasid Dynasty was considered to be the Golden Age of Islam. A vibrant, diverse, and multicultural civilization left its mark on the world. Literature, sciences and the arts flourished under their rule.
The Abbasid era replaced the expanding empire and "tribal politics" of "the tight-knit Syro-Arabian elite with cosmopolitan culture and disciplines of Islam. The religion became more widespread with the gradual conversions of the populations within the empire. Significant conversions also occurred beyond the extent of the empire such as that of the peoples living in regions south through contact with Muslim traders active in the area. In Africa, it spread along three routes, across the Sahara via trading towns, up the through up to and across the and down through settlements.
The Abbasid line of rulers, and Muslim culture in general, re-centered themselves from Baghdad and Kufa to the capital of Egypt, Cairo in 1261. Though lacking in political power (with the brief exception of the Caliph), the dynasty continued to claim religious authority until after the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517.
This story occurs at the height of their powers. The Caliph, Al-Nasir, is the one mentioned in this story. His administrative excellence, helped the Abbasids regain their prestige by extending his dominion beyond the walls of his capital to Mesopotamia and parts of Persia; historians dub him as the last effective Abbasid sovereign. His son, who will be the last formal Abbasid caliph: Al-Must'asim, is Ali's eldest brother in this story.
Most of the characters mentioned are fictional and the story occurs in the early 13th Century. However, the ancestors, conquests, and battles mentioned are very real!
Moving onward to the casting!
Prince Alizayd:
Lady Laila:
Aesthetics:
Please be aware that there will be some mature themes in this book, so if that doesn't agree with your sensibilities, you're welcome to skip those chapters!
I hope you like and enjoy the story! Please vote, share and comment, thank you!
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Empire of Dreams
Historical FictionSet in the Golden Age of the Islamic Empire under the Abbasid Caliphate comes an epic love story! Ali and Laila are two headstrong individuals who've been roped into an unwanted marriage. What happens when two lost souls tie the knot? Do they succum...